Lessons From the Just
by haley.futch.3
Summary: Lydia can't stand being away from her father who is off serving in the war. When a fight with her brothers leads to tripping into Narnia, can King Edmund show Lydia that life may not really be as bad as it seems?
1. Chapter 1

_Hello :) I'm new to posting but quite familiar with writing. Any feedback is appreciated but be gentle, this was written almost 5 years ago and I know I've grown since then. I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia however, Lydia, her family and Elaine are all my lovely characters. So please read and share love!_

If this war lasted much longer, Lydia didn't know what she would do. Her father, who was a doctor, had been sent to the war to help wounded soldiers. And as far as she was concerned, life on the homefront was just as difficult to deal with as it was in Austria or Germany. She was in constant fear for her friend Elaine's life, who was a Jew and hated by the Nazis. She knew America was one of the safest places to be. There was news of more immigrants arriving to Ellis Island in New York everyday seeking refuge, yet Lydia was still scared for her friend. Everyday they received new news of what the Nazis had been up to. So even though she had it a lot better than others, Lydia's life was still hard.

It was a Friday afternoon, Elaine and Lydia were walking home from school, talking about the stories they had written for English. As they walked and talked, Lydia fixed her braids with her school bag slung over one shoulder. Before she knew what was happening, her older brothers Alex and Garrett grabbed her bag from her and took off running turning around only to leer at her.

"Alex! Garrett! Give it back!" Lydia yelled as both girls took off in pursuit of the boys. When they finally caught up with the two boys they were leaning against a wall leading down to the subway. They had dumped the contents of the bag onto the busy sidewalk and were now playing with some of the things.

"Aww! Lydia gots a waddle," Alex said in a mocking baby voice shaking the little toy. Lydia's dad had made it for her when she was a baby and she carried it around with her all the time to remind her of him. It was a little wooden dumbbell with different colored wooden rings.

"Give it back! Why can't you just leave me alone?" Lydia said, tears flowing down her cheeks as she snatched her bag back and quickly shoved its contents back into it.

"Aww poor Lydia is crying. Hush little baby," Alex cooed. She snatched the rattle and jammed the heel of her shoe into Alex's foot before running down into the subway station.

"I'm gonna tell mom, Lydia!" Garrett hollered over the wall to his sister racing down the stairs. As Lydia and Elaine ran down the stairs, Lydia bumped into someone going the opposite direction, dropped the rattle and fell the rest of the way down.

When they reached the foot of the stairs, they were no longer in the subway station. They had entered a thick, lush forest unlike any either of the girls could have imagined and Lydia's rattle that had landed on the subway station floor was no where to be seen. Lydia couldn't stop crying and Elaine did not know what to say to comfort her friend.

Suddenly, the girls heard a noise through the trees. Four beautiful horses stepped into the clearing, each of them bearing a teenage rider in fancy clothes, the eldest looking to be about Alex's age.

"Who are you, where did you come from, and how did you get here?" the eldest of the four asked.

"I'm Elaine and this is Lydia, sir. We're from New York City, New York in the United States. We were running into the subway station, away from Lydia's brothers when she tripped down the stairs and we both ended up here," Elaine explained, answering all three questions.

"And if you're going to give us a hard time, we might as well just go home where my brothers can pick on us," Lydia added rudely.

"You can't go home until you're sent there and that's not a decision for us to make," the oldest answered kindly back to Lydia's retort.

"Alright then fine! Who are you, where are we and why are we here?" Lydia asked just as rudely, tears still trickling down her face.

"High King Peter, the Magnificent. My brothers and sisters, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, and Queen Lucy the Valiant. This is Narnia, a separate world from where you're from. And as to why you are here? Well only time can tell. The great lion Aslan is the only one who would know that. But everyone who comes to Narnia from our world is brought here for a reason," he answered.

"Excuse me, sir," Elaine said in her soft, gentle voice. "Did you say _our _world?"

"Lucy here, found this world in a wardrobe in a spare room back in London. We're not from the same country but we're from the same world as you," King Edmund explained.

"Aww! You poor thing. You look like you're hurt," Queen Lucy said jumping off her horse and running over to where Lydia sat on the ground. She stroked Lydia's hair and then turned back to her siblings. "Can we take them back to Cair Paravel and get them cleaned up?" she asked.

"I don't see why we can't. After all, they could be here awhile," King Peter decided. "Can either of you ride?" he asked Lydia and Elaine.

"I can. I used to ride before I moved to New York," Elaine answered.

"Alright then. You can ride with Susan," he told Elaine. "How about you? Can you ride?" he asked Lydia.

"I don't know. I never have before," Lydia answered.

"Well you can ride with Lucy and Edmund can help you mount. He's the best rider."

Lucy hopped back onto her horse and Edmund climbed off of his. Edmund reached for Lydia's hand and pulled her off the ground. They walked towards the horse that Lucy was perched on top of.

"Put your left foot in the stirrup. There, just like that." He put his hands around her waist. "Now push yourself up and swing your right leg over. There you got it."

Once Lydia was safely on the horse behind Lucy, Edmund remounted his horse and they took off through the woods. Lydia now realized that falling down the stairs had done some damage, and she couldn't pay attention to her surroundings because of the pain.

When they arrived at Cair Paravel, Lydia gingerly slid off the horse she was riding with Lucy. Her and Elaine were taken into a fancy bedroom where Lydia's scrapes and bruises were patched up and where she washed her face, erasing all signs that she had been crying. Both Lydia and Elaine were given gowns like the ones that Lucy and Susan wore. Lydia was sitting on the bed fixing her braids when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Elaine called to the door. Lucy skipped in followed by Susan in a much more dignified manner.

"It's dinner time. We're going to escort you to the dining hall since you don't know where it is yet," Susan said. Lydia and Elaine both climbed off the bed and then followed Lucy and Susan to a grand room with a neat dining table with six chairs. Peter was already seated at the head of the table and Edmund was sitting to one side of the other end seat. Lucy took the seat next to Edmund, Susan took the seat at the other end of the table, Lydia sat across from Edmund and Elaine sat down across from Lucy.

"I hope you like your room. I'm glad Susan's old dresses fit you both," Peter told the girls. Now that she didn't have tears obscuring her vision, Lydia really saw the four kings and queens.

High King Peter still looked Alex's age, but she noticed an air of pride that Alex definitely did not have. He had the look of someone who had too much stress for his age. He had neat brown hair and beautiful bright blue eyes. His title, Magnificent, suited him well, and looking into his gentle but stern kingly face made her feel guilty of being so rude to him earlier. She could see that Peter had never been the type of brother Alex was and only meant well.

Next to him sat Lucy. She had long brown hair that she wore pulled back and lively blue eyes. She was full of energy and excitement. Unlike the rest of her siblings, her dress was covered in wrinkles, as if she spent more time playing and running around than acting dignified, which Lydia figured she probably did.

Lydia skipped to the other end of the table where Susan was. She was like an older version of Lydia's little sister, Alice. Same long brown hair, same blue eyes, only with a look of intellect in them. This was probably the sibling who could always out shine the others in school. She seemed to be the calm and gentle sibling, like Alice was in her family.

Lydia finally layed her eyes on Edmund. He looked like the black sheep in his family like Lydia was in hers. He was the only one of the four with messy black hair rather than brown, and light brown eyes rather than blue. Like Lucy, he had a lot of energy and was short on stress unlike the older two. Unlike Lucy, Edmund could handle acting dignified much better. He was also handsome. Peter was handsome too, but Lydia thought Edmund was more handsome. At that point, he looked towards her and their eyes met. Blood flushed her cheeks as she quickly looked down at her hands, neatly folded in her lap.

"I'm sorry I was so rude when you found us in the woods. I had no reason to behave like that. Will you please forgive me and let me start over?" Lydia asked the siblings.

She looked up when she heard the soft, gentle chuckle of Peter. "You were forgiven before we even left the forest," he explained.

"Besides you were hurting both physically and emotionally. It may not be a good excuse but it is an excuse. And we do still forgive you," Edmund added. "Oh by the way, did one of you lose something earlier?" he asked, pulling Lydia's rattle from his pocket and shaking it.

Lydia exchanged a look with Elaine. "It's mine," she confessed looking back at Edmund. He laughed gently, handing her the rattle.

"Why do you carry around a baby toy anyway?" Lucy asked.

Lydia knew she didn't mean for this to be offensive but she didn't want to tell the whole truth. "It was my favorite toy as a baby. I don't play with it, I just keep it in my school bag."

After that they talked. Lydia learned the four kids were the Pevensies. They wanted to know about Lydia and Elaine. Elaine talked about living on the ranch out in the west before the war. She talked about how when Hitler gained power, her dad decided to move to an area with more people, where it would be easier to blend in.

Lydia told the Pevensies about living in New York. She talked about her dad. She talked about living with her mom and fighting with her siblings.

Then the Pevensies told stories. They talked some about their time in England. Mostly though, they talked about life in Narnia. They talked about the White Witch and the great Lion Aslan. Narnia was full of such wonderful stories.

After a while, a man, well he wasn't exactly a man, half man, and half goat, came in to the dining hall. He introduced himself to Lydia and Elaine as Tumnus the Faun.

"Your majesties. It is getting late and you have another busy day tomorrow."

"You're right Tumnus. It is late. We should be getting to bed. Tomorrow morning at breakfast we will discuss what the day is going to look like," Peter said taking authority.

They all said their good nights and then Lucy walked Lydia and Elaine back to their room.

As far as she could tell, Elaine had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Lydia on the other hand, had too much to think about to fall asleep. She was thinking about some of the things the Pevensies had told her. For one thing, they said they had entered Narnia a few years ago but from their experience, they knew Narnian time was very different from time in their own world. Peter was now eighteen, the same age as Alex, but in her world, he was probably only fifteen. Susan was now seventeen, a year older than Garrett, but in her world, Garrett was probably two years older than her. Edmund was now fifteen, two years older than she and Elaine were, but in their own world, they would be three years older than him. The youngest, Lucy was thirteen now, so Lydia's age and three years older than Alice, but in their own world, two years younger. But she was assuming that they had only been here 5 years when she really had no idea how long it had been. It was complicated to grasp.

After Lydia had twisted her brain into knots trying to figure out how old the Pevensies were, she decided to just go with the ages they were now and she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Lucy skipped into the room to wake them up. Elaine got up okay but Lydia got up reluctantly. She could feel the pain from her injuries the day before. It was intensified now, after a full night of sleep. She walked around getting dressed, trying to lessen the pain.

When they were dressed, the three girls walked down to the dining hall for breakfast, where Peter, Susan, and Edmund were waiting. "Good morning!" Peter said cheerily. "You're lucky that Edmund has had time to wake up. He's not as grumpy now as he was about a half hour ago."

Edmund glared at his brother and everyone laughed. The girls walked into the dining room and went to the table. As she was walking, Lydia's ankle, which was already weak from her fall the day before, gave out beneath her. She stumbled into Edmund who had not yet sat down at his seat.

"I'm sorry," she said, as he helped her regain her balance. "My ankle hurts from falling yesterday. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. No need to apologize," he said reassuring Lydia's pleas for forgiveness. He wrapped her arm around his shoulders and walked her to her chair. Once she was seated and comfortable, Edmund walked around the table and sat down across from her.

"So how did you sleep last night?" Peter asked Lydia and Elaine.

"Very well, thank-you," Elaine said politely.

"And how about you Lydia?" Peter asked.

"I slept fine until I woke up," she said simply.

Peter chuckled. "Well we did find you on the ground. You must have taken quite a spill yesterday."

"If you would like I can take you down to the infirmary after breakfast. One of the nurses can fix your injuries," Edmund offered.

"Yes that would be good," Lydia decided out loud.

"Ed and I both have meetings this morning. After you return from the infirmary, if you feel well enough to walk Lydia, Susan and Lucy can take both you and Elaine on a tour of the castle."

"Oh that would be lovely," Elaine said happily.

"Well then we better eat so we can get busy. There is a lot of castle to see."

They ate in silence but they finished eating quickly. Once they had finished, Edmund wrapped Lydia's arm around his shoulder once more and helped her walk to the infirmary.

As they walked, Lydia said "I thought an infirmary was only for soldiers in war."

"An infirmary is just like a hospital. Its where sick and injured people are kept while they are treated. So yeah, they are definitely used for soldiers during war time."

In the infirmary, a young faun bandaged Lydia's ankle so that she could walk again. It still hurt but she could at least walk without stumbling and falling.

Edmund thanked him for helping Lydia before they left. "Now you know where something is that Elaine doesn't," Edmund said to Lydia as they left the infirmary with Lydia supporting her own weight this time. "C'mon. Let's go find the others."

Edmund and Lydia found the other three Pevensies and Elaine waiting at the main castle entrance. Edmund and Peter said good-bye to the girls and then they went off in their own ways.

The girls began their tour of the castle with Susan and Elaine in the lead, talking about something Lydia had never heard of. Lucy and Lydia followed.

"It's so exciting to have you here. I always have my siblings but they can get boring after a while. It's like having a new friend. I honestly haven't had a friend outside of the castle and who's almost my age since we first entered Narnia," Lucy told Lydia.

"Wow I can't imagine not having friends. I would be lonely," Lydia commented.

"Well I always have siblings to keep me from being lonely."

They went to the infirmary and Lydia and Elaine were introduced to Bowman, the faun who had fixed Lydia's ankle earlier. They saw all the bed rooms, the ball room, and a variety of other rooms.

One of the rooms they passed had the door opened just a crack but it was enough that she could hear voices from inside. Susan had said this was the council's meeting room. It was where they had big meetings and trials and usually only one of the four royalties had to be present.

Lydia was overwhelmed with curiosity so she snuck into the room. It was a big circular room with 3 tiers of seats. The highest tier had a wall built behind it, so Lydia crawled behind it and then peered around it.

A girl stood in the middle of the floor crying. It looked like a human girl to Lydia which was surprising because this was the first human she had seen besides the Pevensies. Lydia noticed a vacant chair across from the crying girl before she noticed a boy pacing in front of her. She recognized the voice to be Edmund's before she noticed the silver crown on his head.

"Why would you do something like that? You put yourself in danger, you put your family in danger, and you put your country in danger. You knew it was wrong so what made you do it?" Edmund was the one speaking and he sounded stern but gentle. He never stopped his pacing as he spoke. This girl must have been at least Lydia's age or younger. The girl mumbled an answer but it was too soft for Lydia to hear, hiding on the top tier.

"Do you know what kind of punishment is ordered for this kind of crime? You have committed treason against your country," he said stopping his pacing in front of her chair.

The girl let out a sob. "Yes your majesty, I understand the punishment, but I couldn't help it. I didn't know I was being used. I was being offered everything I've ever wanted and I couldn't let that offer down. I'm terribly sorry and I promise to never do it again if you don't punish me so harshly," she pleaded.

Edmund looked like he was contemplating what to do when the man in front of Lydia, or Centaur rather, began speaking. Edmund looked up and Lydia ducked back behind the wall, hoping no one had seen her.

"Your majesty, you know the punishment for treason used to be death. I think she is lucky to just spend life in prison. The punishment is not as harsh as it used to be and for that she is lucky. She should not be let off without punishment. She needs to serve her time. You especially, out of all of us, should know that when a crime has been committed, someone must pay the price."

Lydia was wondering what this girl could have possibly done to be accused of treason when Edmund began to speak. She snuck back around so she could see again. "You do make a good point Firestar, however, she is only ten years of age. I know the struggles that go along with dark magic and how tempting it can be. For that reason and that reason alone, I will let you off by serving in Cair Paravel until your fifteenth birthday. Can everyone agree on that?"

"That seems fair enough. It's a just decision that did not have to be offered so she can take it or leave it. But either way she must be aware that although it is hard to resist the temptations of dark magic she must learn to just as everyone else must. Especially if she does get let off with a lesser punishment," Firestar said.

Lydia didn't stick around to hear the final vote. She realized how long she had been gone and realized that could be a bad thing. She snuck back out of the council room and walked quickly, trying to find the other girls. Eventually she ran into Lucy. Lydia was both relieved and nervous because of this. What would she say when Lucy asked her where she had been?

"Where did you go? We couldn't find you and we were worried." Lucy asked embracing her.

"I got lost. It's hard for me to keep up," she said, gesturing toward her ankle, hoping that this would make sense to her.

"Oh well. Susan does walk pretty fast. I guess we should ask her to slow down," Lucy answered.

Lydia sighed in relief and started walking again.

They caught up with Susan and Elaine in a short time. Lucy asked Susan to slow her pace a bit and then they continued their tour. At noon, the four girls went back to the dining hall where they met up with the two boys. After they had eaten lunch, they decided to ride horses out into the woods. Elaine was given her own horse to ride, but Lydia chose to ride with Lucy again since her ankle was still bothering her. They spent the whole afternoon in the forest and that night Lydia was exhausted.

"This is so cool! Imagine being able to live in the castle of teenage kings and queens in another world!" Elaine exclaimed excitedly that night after they had gone to their room.

"It's exciting. But I wonder why we're here. Peter said only the Lion Aslan could tell us why we are here," Lydia said, her back towards Elaine, playing with her rattle.

"Do you think we'll get to meet Aslan so he can tell us why we're here?"

"I dunno. Maybe," Lydia yawned. "G'night Elaine."

"Good night Lydia."


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days were basically the same as the first day. Lydia and Elaine would stay with the two Pevensies who were not in meetings during the morning hours. Then in the afternoon, all six of them would do various activities in Cair Paravel and out in the Narnian forest. As Lydia's ankle healed, they were able to do more in the afternoons. They went swimming, they visited the Beavers and Edmund attempted to teach Lydia to ride a horse on her own.

"Tomorrow Ed and I have meetings so Lydia and Elaine will stay with Susan and Lucy," Peter said at dinner one night making a general statement. Edmund rolled his eyes at Lydia and she giggled. Edmund and Lydia had become pretty good friends during the past few days and she knew he hated the name Ed.

"So we get to do whatever we want tomorrow just us girls!" Lucy exclaimed. Susan and Elaine exchanged a glance.

"Well actually Lucy, there was something I had promised to show Elaine the next morning I had off. It's probably not something you or Lydia would be too excited about." This time it was Lataine and Lucy's turn to exchange a glance.

"That's fine. We can find something to do," Lucy said.

So the next morning, when Elaine left to go to Susan's room, Lydia got up and dressed to go to Lucy's room. When she arrived, Lucy was practically jumping out of her skin. "Do you mind if we go for a ride? I want to talk but I don't want to be overheard by the new servant, Skylar. If you're still not comfortable riding on your own, we can ride together," Lucy said.

"Ok sure," Lydia answered, slightly confused. Lucy invited her into the room, while she finished getting ready. She jumped onto the bed and crossed her legs in front of her.

As soon as Lucy was ready, Lydia jumped off the bed and followed her out the door. Before Lucy closed the door, Lydia caught a glimpse of a girl and it looked like the girl she had seen in the council room on trial.

They saddled up Lucy's horse and took off riding into the woods. "So you and Edmund are friends right?" Lucy asked as they rode through the woods at a trot.

"Yeah, I like Edmund. He's a good friend."

"Do you possibly fancy him as more than a friend?"

"Where are you going with this Lucy?"

"Well, I think you both fancy each other but you just don't see it."

"Well, I guess I do like him as more than a friend. But I've never liked anyone before so I don't really know."

"Ooh!" Lucy squealed. "Tell me, Tell me!"

"He's funny, he's cute, he's nice, he's smart. Well not as smart as Susan but you know what I mean. It seems like he understands me."

"Aww! That's so sweet," she gushed.

"So do you really think he likes me too?"

"Confession, I know he fancies you the same way you fancy him. He accidentally let it slip and then I pestered him for details. I'm surprised he told me since he knows I'm your friend."

"I'm friends with all of you. I'm just closer to you and Edmund because Peter is more fatherly and Susan is too smart. Plus they are both much older, around my brothers' ages."

Lucy laughed. "It's so great that you both fancy each other."

For the rest of the morning they talked about Edmund. Lucy tried to think of ways to get Lydia to admit to Edmund that she liked him. Lydia refused. So Lucy promised that she would not say anything to Edmund.

That afternoon, everyone shared about their morning. True to her word, Lucy did not mention their conversation to Edmund or any of the others. For that, Lydia was thankful.


	4. Chapter 4

A couple of weeks later, Lydia went back to questioning the reason she was here. Sure, she was enjoying being here and being treated like a princess but she didn't know why she was here.

One night after dinner when Elaine and Lydia were in their room getting ready for bed, Elaine started pestering Lydia.

"So what's going on between you and Edmund?" Elaine asked.

"What do you mean?" Lydia asked.

"Oh c'mon. Don't try to deny it. You're friends now, but you both want to be more than that. It's obvious."

"Is it? Lucy didn't tell you, did she?"

"Yes and no. I'm your best friend Lydia. I know you. Besides, you're both being so obvious. Lucy did mention it, but it just confirmed that I was right. How long has she known?"

"Since Edmund accidentally told her he liked me I guess. She promised she wouldn't tell anyone."

"Good. Then I can get Lucy and Susan in on this too. Susan's figured it out too."

"What are you getting them in on?"

"You and Edmund. You need to go out alone together. So since Lucy and Susan both have the morning off tomorrow, that's what we're discussing."


	5. Chapter 5

"So what should we do today?" Susan asked as the four girls walked down the hall from breakfast.

"We need to talk," Elaine said, quickly glancing at Lydia.

"Okay then. Let's talk. What are we talking about?" Lucy asked.

"You promise you wouldn't tell!" Lydia accused Lucy.

"If you're talking about you fancying Edmund, I promised I wouldn't tell _him_, I never said anything about not telling anyone else."

"Well obviously you're both aware that Lydia likes Edmund. Well, they aren't doing anything about it so I say it's about time we do something," Elaine said.

"Oh that sounds fun. They should go out together alone one afternoon. Not tonight, but perhaps tomorrow? Maybe they could go for a walk around Cair Paravel. Ooh! No, I've got it! They can go out on a picnic in the woods. That would be perfect because Lydia could ride on Edmund's horse with him since she doesn't want to ride her own horse. And since Edmund and Susan are in meetings and it's mine and Peter's day off, I can get her ready to go. I can do her hair, and find her the perfect dress. Oh this is gonna be so much fun!" Lucy said in one breath.

"That sounds like a good idea, Lucy. They can take a picnic lunch out to the river. You can help her get ready in the morning. They can leave tomorrow morning before lunch." Susan agreed.

So Susan pulled Edmund and Lydia together that night after dinner before they went to bed. "Both of you fancy each other. So tomorrow afternoon, after meetings are over, you two are going to go spend the day with each other," she said.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Lydia was anticipating the afternoon to come. Edmund and Susan were both in meetings like Lucy said. So Lucy, Peter, Elaine, and Lydia stayed in Elaine and Lydia's room preparing her for the afternoon. After she had been dressed in a dress of a soft pink color, Lucy worked on her hair. She braided two strands on each side of her head and then tied them together in the back, making a braided ringlet. Lydia wondered if Edmund was just as worried as she was.

"You'll be fine, Lydia. You'll have a lot of fun," Peter said, telling her not to worry. That's all she could focus on the entire morning though. Before she knew it, she was going to the stables to meet Edmund.

When Lydia got to the stables, Edmund hadn't arrived yet but the girl serving him, Skylar, was tending the horses. "Good afternoon Miss Lydia," she said curtsying to her.

"Good afternoon."

Lydia felt awkward and didn't know what to do. She hoped Edmund would get here soon. Then again, she wasn't sure she would feel less awkward when he arrived. She had never been alone with a boy before except her brother, and as far as Lydia was concerned, that didn't count.

Lydia didn't have to wait long before Edmund came in to the stables carrying a picnic basket.

"Good afternoon your highness," Skylar said timidly to Edmund, curtsying.

"Good afternoon Skylar. Is Philip ready to go?" he asked her.

"Yes sir. I wish that you would have a good time," Skylar said before curtsying to both Edmund and Lydia before going back to her chores.

Edmund mounted his horse and grabbed Lydia's hand to help her up onto the horse behind him. "Hold on," he said as he started at a brisk trot. Lydia wrapped her hands around his waist to keep herself balanced on the horse.

After riding for a while in silence, Edmund finally spoke. "So do you think I made the right decision about Skylar?"

Lydia was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Skylar was on trial the first day you and Elaine were here."

"Wait, did you…? Do you…?"

Edmund laughed. "I know you were hiding in there. Firestar, the centaur at the end of the aisle in the top tier, started speaking, so I looked up to him and when I did I saw you duck behind the wall."

"Did anyone else see me? Did you tell anyone I was in there? I'm sorry, I noticed the door was open and I was curious and then when I recognized your voice…" Lydia's words spilled out and were lost in her overwhelming thoughts.

"No one else saw you and I'm not going to tell anyone I saw you. Oh and you're forgiven. You seem to apologize a lot."

"I guess it's habit."

"Why? Do you misbehave at home?"

"No but I'm kinda the outcast. That being said, it's easy for me to get in trouble for not doing anything."  
They had reached the river now and this is where they were going to spend the afternoon. It was later than their normal lunch time so both of them were hungry. They ate in silence and when they had finished they went to sit on the edge of the river. After taking their shoes off, they dangled their bare feet in the water.

"You said earlier you were the outcast. How?" Edmund asked, starting conversation.

Lydia watched her feet kicking back and forth in the water. "Well I'm a daddy's girl. I don't get along at all with my brothers and I don't get along great with my mom or sister either. I'm not the oldest, I'm not super smart, and I'm not the youngest. I don't even look like them. They all have blue eyes and brown hair. I have blonde hair and brown eyes.

"My daddy's a doctor and he had to go help with wounded soldiers in the war. Alex became like daddy's replacement since he's the oldest. Garrett became suddenly important because he was doing so well in school since he's so smart. When they're not together they're okay but when they're together they make my life miserable. I fight a lot with them. They pick on me and when I defend myself they tell my mom and I somehow always end up the one in trouble. Oh and Alice is the youngest plus she is really smart for her age and she has more common sense than me. My mom says my mouth moves faster than my brain."

"Did you ever think that maybe your brothers aren't trying to pick a fight and get you in trouble, they're just playing around? Peter used to do that all the time. And thinking before you speak is definitely helpful."

"That doesn't sound like Alex and Garrett. But I don't know maybe. Mom wants me to try harder."

"But she still loves you." Edmund didn't say it as a question but as a statement.

"Yeah I know she does. But she misses daddy too and without him she's stressed. She's trying to raise four kids on her own and keep up a job so we don't loose everything we have. And I get in trouble a lot at school and with my siblings. I miss him so much," Lydia ended, playing with the rattle that she had brought with her.

"That rattle. It has something to do with your dad doesn't it?"

"Daddy made it for me. I'm the only one he made a toy for so it's really special. Especially since he's off in the war now. You're going to think it sounds mad, but I keep a scrap of one of his old shirts too. It smells like him and it reminds me of him."

"I don't think that's mad. That's really sweet. So what about you and Elaine? How long have you been friends? It doesn't sound like you've known each other all your life."

"We've known each other since before the war. Like she said, she had lived on a ranch before hand and her dad decided to move for safety reasons. What she didn't tell you is that she is a Jew, so when they heard Hitler had decided he wanted to get rid of the Jews they decided to move so they could blend. I'm so worried for her and I worry about her everyday. I know she's probably safer here…well in America than anywhere else but it's still scary."

"I can imagine how that would be scary. You know she's definitely safe here. There's probably all of six people in our world who even know Narnia exists. But in all seriousness, Lydia you seem to be a lot like me. I'm the black sheep in the family. I wasn't the oldest and most responsible, I wasn't the smartest, I wasn't the youngest. I was just Edmund. I was closer to my dad then my mom or any of my siblings and I was very upset when he went to fight in the war. Then when the bomb raids in England started, my mom sent me and my siblings to live in the country and that made me angry. I hated the Germans and I blamed them for everything. I blamed them for dad going away, I blamed them for mom sending us away, I blamed them for all the fights I was in with my siblings."

"You know, that doesn't sound very justly, King Edmund. I just realized I don't know anything about when you came to Narnia. I know about Lucy, Susan and Peter but none of you ever said anything about you."

"You're right. It wasn't very justly. I don't like talking about my first few days in Narnia and neither do my siblings. It's not something any of us tell people but I'm going to tell you because I think you need to know. I see me in you, and in some cases, that's not a good thing.

"You know Lucy was the first one to go to Narnia. She met Tumnus the faun who was going to hand her over to the White Witch. He felt guilty and let her go. When she got back to England she told us there was a wood in the wardrobe and she had been gone for hours. Peter and Susan humored her by looking in the wardrobe but all they found was the back of it.

"I was the second one to go to Narnia. I had heard Lucy leaving our bedroom and I followed her. I met the White Witch but at the time I didn't know that's who she was. She told me that she was the queen of Narnia. She said that since she didn't have any kids I could be king if I brought my sisters and brothers back with me. I had to bring my siblings so I would have servants. That's what I had always wanted more than anything else. I wanted to have power over my siblings. So I easily agreed.

"The White Witch left and shortly after Lucy came out of the wood. She was so excited to see me there. When we got back to England, she ran to wake Peter and Susan and tell them that I had been to Narnia. They asked me if it was true and I did something awfully nasty. I told them no; It was a game. We were just playing and Lucy had taken it too far."

"That was perfectly beastly of you."

"Peter and Susan thought so too. They were very unhappy with me.

"One day we were hiding from Mrs. MacGrady when we all ended up in Narnia. Lucy wanted us to go to Tumnus's house but he had been arrested. So the beavers came and found us. I sat in their house long enough to hear about Aslan and then I left to go to the White Witch's palace.

"Her palace was filled with creatures turned to stone. I thought nothing of it. That's how cold and cruel I was. I thought the head wolf was stone too and he gave me quite a fright when he tackled me. I told him I was there to see the queen and he brought me into the palace.

"When the witch saw me she asked where my brother and sisters were. I told her I tried to get them to come but they wouldn't. She threw me in a jail cell, shackles on my wrists and ankles. This was when I realized Lucy had been right."

"What was Lucy right about?"

"When she first found me in Narnia she was excited but she told me we had to hurry and leave. She said that you couldn't be wandering around the woods or the White Witch might find you but she called herself the queen. I didn't believe her."

"She was right and you didn't listen to her."

"I wasn't going to admit she was right. Especially if I was being offered power, the possibility of being a king and having her serve me.

"So anyway, Tumnus was in the cell next to me and even though he had never met me, he recognized me as being Lucy's brother. He told me someone had turned him in for not turning in my sister. I knew I had been the one who had turned him in on my first trip to Narnia when I told the witch my sister had come and met Tumnus. I realized what a terrible thing I had done to repay him for saving my sister's life. If he would have done what he was supposed to, she would have ended up where I was now or worse.

"After awhile he was taken out screaming. The witch asked me where my siblings were since they weren't with me. I told her they were at the beavers and they had been talking about Aslan. She panicked. She had her dwarf get a sleigh prepared and we left, with me tied up and thrown on the floor of the sleigh.

"We went to the beavers' house. No one was there. I was grateful, but I didn't want her to know, so I kept a pokerface. As we chased them the White Witch started loosing her power as Aslan was growing stronger. The never ending winter the witch had set was melting and spring was coming again, which slowed the witch down. Eventually one night, part of Aslan's army came and stole me from the witch's army.

"The next morning before any of my siblings had woken Aslan talked with me, and this is something I've told no one else. He asked me why I had done what I did and if I realized I had been with the witch. I told him yes but I had figured it out after it was too late. He said he was aware that Lucy had warned me that there was a witch in Narnia claiming to be queen and that I had been foolish to ignore her. I told him I knew I had made a mistake but I had gone to her because she had said that I could be a king with my brother and sisters working as my slaves which is what I wanted. He told me I had been arrogant and cruel. He also said that the witch will tell you that you can have what you most want to get you to do what she wants you to do but you have to resist the temptations. I apologized and when I did I sincerely meant it. Then he told me he saw that I could be fair and honest and I could rule with my siblings as one of four kings and queens to fulfill a prophecy."

"So that's how you really did become a king. You were told you could be a king and then that it was all a lie and she wanted to kill you, and then that you could be a king with your siblings."

"It was good I got to be a king and I changed my ways in everything that happened. But Aslan had one more thing to say before he let me go down to my siblings who had awoken by that time. The last thing he told me is that I had made a mistake that I would not pay for. He said therefore someone else would have to pay for me. He said all errors made have a price and someone must pay the price for all of them. After he said that, he let me go join my siblings. They had never been so happy to see me. While I was with them, the witch arrived at the camp, calling me a traitor, and saying that my blood was her property."

"Which means what?"

"According to the laws of magic, the same ones that made us the kings and queens, I was a traitor. That meant she had the right to kill me. Because of what I had done, my blood belonged to her. This was the price that someone else was going to have to pay for me."

"Wait so Skylar…?"

"Remember, you shouldn't know about that. Blood as property was part of the deep magic which Aslan reversed with the deeper magic. So the law was changed when Aslan saved me. If you do something like betray someone sort of like I did, the punishment is life in prison. But prison isn't exactly a trip to candy land."

"So she got lucky. Sorry I keep interrupting."

"It's alright. So anyway that night, Aslan took my place on the stone table and was killed by the witch. Susan and Lucy saw it all happen. They had walked with him to the stone table."

"So Aslan, the lion you talk about all the time? He's…dead?"

"No he's alive. The witch knew the deep magic but had no knowledge about the deeper magic. The deeper magic said that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's place, the table would crack and death itself would begin working backwards. Aslan took Susan and Lucy to the witch's palace to restore the witch's stone creatures to increase the size of the Narnian army. Meanwhile, Peter and I were leading the rest of Aslan's army in war against the witch.

"Aslan destroyed the witch for now but she can never be completely destroyed. I had been injured by the witch but Lucy was able to heal me."

"I can't imagine you acting like that. You've made me feel important. I haven't felt that way since daddy left."

"I understand how you feel. I've been through it. In fact I've struggled with more. My mistakes endangered people's lives."

By this time, it had gotten late and it was time to go back to Cair Paravel. This had been the best night of Lydia's life.


	7. Chapter 7

The time that Lydia did not spend with Edmund was agonizing. Lydia had grown to love Edmund. Just being in his presence was sunshine on a cloudy day for Lydia. They spent all the time they possibly could with each other. He made her feel special. He was like no other friend she had ever had before. Lydia confided everything in Edmund.

It had been a couple of weeks since Edmund and Lydia had gone out to the river that first time and they decided to do it again. This time as they ate, they talked. After they had finished with lunch they went for a walk through the woods. Suddenly, Edmund stopped walking and threw his arm out in front of Lydia to prevent her from going ahead. "I hear something," he said. "Stay here. I'll be right back," he said drawing the sword Lydia had come to think of as being a part of him but never actually seeing him use it.

Lydia stood still waiting, listening. After a few moments, Edmund came back and grabbed her hand. "Come on. I want you to meet someone," he said, walking next to her.

They approached a great lion, bigger and more magnificent than any lion Lydia had ever imagined or seen in pictures. Fear ran through her veins, but she felt Edmund next to her squeeze her hand and she relaxed. His thick golden mane glittered in the sunlight and Lydia realized just how beautiful this lion was. Without being told, she knew this lion must be Aslan.

"Lydia," the lion said. His voice was deep and stern like that of a scolding father, but at the same time it was loving, gentle, and musical. Lydia let go of Edmund's hand and kneeled down as it seemed like the right thing to do. She then noticed Edmund was kneeling as well.

"Rise my child, Both of you, and come to me."

Lydia stood and ran to Aslan, hugging him as if she had known him all her life and Edmund did so as well. She sat on a rock in front of him cross-legged. Aslan laid down in front of her.

"How are you enjoying your time in Narnia, young Lydia?" he asked.

"Oh it's wonderful," Lydia answered.

"I see you have met young King Edmund, the Just."

At this, Edmund came and sat down next to Lydia taking her hand in his once more. "We're friends. He helped me when I first got here."

"I'm glad you met each other for that was my intended purpose of bringing you here, Lydia. I brought you to Narnia because I knew that Edmund would take a liking for you and take you under his wing."

"So that's why you brought her here? So she could meet me?" Edmund asked.

"That's more or less part of the big picture, yes. Edmund, you told me you both told each other the story of your pasts, correct?"

"Yes."

"The two of you have a great deal in common as you have found out. You may possibly have more in common than even you know. By finding out there is someone like you who shares the same struggles you can grow stronger. Every story has a lesson for someone and you can both learn from each other.

"Edmund, I know you learned from your own story but you can learn from Lydia's as well. I am aware that before Lydia arrived you were letting guilt of what you had done overwhelm you. You felt that you didn't deserve to be a king. Lydia can teach you that there are people who struggle like you, and you're struggles can help them learn. As a king, and as someone who shares her pain, you were able to reach out to her in ways that no one else has been able to.

"Lydia, as bad as things may seem for you at home there are people with similar struggles and you can overcome them. It may not seem like it to you, but you are loved, and cherished. You can not let evil temptations and hatred manipulate you. Edmund has taught you that you can change and you can be a part of your family even if you're different. When you leave this country and return to your own, take what you have learned from Edmund and apply it to your own life so you do not make the same mistake he once made."


	8. Chapter 8

For the next month, Lydia and Edmund spent plenty of time together. They played games with the others. They went on picnics. They went swimming in the river. They visited friends of the Pevensies.

One night, after spending a long day with each other and everyone else, Lydia said goodnight to Lucy, Susan, and Peter like she did every other night. She felt like this was going to be the last time she saw them, so she spent more time than usual on her goodnights. Then Edmund walked her to her room like he had every night the past month. He said good night to her.

"Edmund, I feel like this is the last time I'm going to see you," she said, confiding her thoughts in him.

"Maybe you will be able to come back to Narnia again some time. If this is your last night, I'm going to miss you Lydia. You're like a little sister and little friend. I love you Lydia."

"I love you too, Edmund," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. "Thank you for everything."

Once they had broken their embrace he softly kissed her forehead. "Take care of yourself Lydia. I love you."


	9. Chapter 9

_It's been forever since I've been able to update! My life has been crazy. However, this is the last chapter of Lessons from the Just and I really hope everyone has enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I still don't own Chronicles of Narnia, unfortunately_

Lydia awoke the next morning to find herself not in the big comfy bed in the spare room of Cair Paravel, but on the floor of the subway station. Elaine was sitting next to her having just woken up herself.

"Are you alright?" an unfamiliar voice asked. It was then that Lydia realized she was surrounded by people. She was confused though as to why they all seemed so worried about her.

"What happened?" she asked groggily.

"You seemed like you were in a hurry because you were both running down the stairs. You bumped into someone and then fell the rest of the way down the stairs. Then your friend here chased you down and just kind of collapsed."

Lydia suddenly realized that back in New York, no time had passed even though she'd been in Narnia for months. Edmund had been right. Edmund. The friend she would probably never see again.

That's when she noticed a piece of paper in her hand. She unfolded it and scanned it, not caring to read it at the moment. The signature was that of Edmund's. She smiled and clutched the note tighter.

"Move! Get out of the way! That's my sister!" Now, these voices Lydia recognized and the last time she had heard them, a few months ago for her and Elaine yet mere seconds ago for everyone else, they had been threatening to tell mom. Garrett and Alex pushed through the crowd of people and kneeled down in front of the two girls.

"I thought you were gonna tell mom," Lydia said to the two boys.

"Forget that, Lydia. That's not important now. Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Alex asked as Garrett quickly examined both girls just as his father would have.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just tired," Lydia said. Elaine nodded her agreement.

"Alright then. Let's get you both home."

Lydia said good-bye to Elaine before she headed the other direction with her brothers. Garrett carried her the whole way home, neither him or Alex stopping their ongoing line of threats and insults. Yet both of them thought it was funny. Had Lydia's family relationship always been like this and she had just been too blind to see it?

Garrett laid Lydia in her bed and then left, closing the door behind him. From the family room, Lydia could now hear Alice's voice joined in to her brothers' antics. She heard them explain to her mom what had happened at the subway station, but left out the preceding fight that had caused the fall.

Lydia blocked out all the noise and turned over on her back. She opened the note from Edmund she was still clutching in her fist:

Lydia,

I hope that when you return to our world you will find this note. I knew from speaking to Aslan that day in the woods that the time for you to return home would be coming soon. And I could see last night you knew it too. Your time and purpose here in Narnia has been fulfilled. Mine has not and so I shall remain.

Whether or not you realize it, having you here did teach me something. Like Aslan said, I felt guilty for putting my family in danger in the past. I have been feeling unworthy of being a king. Now that you have changed you can do so much more with your life. I now know I'm not the only one who has experienced this kind of pain and temptations.

I want to give you some advice, not just as your friend but also as Edmund the Just king of Narnia. Now that you are home, your family will seem different. They will seem like they care more, like fights are simply games, like you are now more important than you were before, like your whole relationship has changed. As I suggested before, it has always been like this, it hasn't changed. When you met Aslan and perhaps when you met me as well, Aslan showed you that you don't see how important you are. You underestimate yourself. I promise you your dad will make it home safely and Elaine and her family will be safe as well. You are so sweet and compassionate and your heart is in the right place. You don't always see yourself clearly but I do.

I love you Lydia and I will miss you. Remember me and everything you experienced here in Narnia. Maybe one day you will be able to come back to Narnia or maybe when I return to my own country I may get lucky and run into you sometime. Good luck back home Lydia.

Edmund


End file.
